Oxygen therapy apparatus



May 17, 1932. F. w. KOEHLER OXYGEN THERAPY APPARATUS Filed Sept. 17, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 17, 1932. F. w. KOEHLER OXYGEN THERAPY APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 17, 1930.

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FROM RUE/FIE]? y 1932- F. w. KOEHLER ,858,400

OXYGEN THERAPY APPARATQS Filed Sept. 17, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented May 17, 1932 PATEfnT OFFICE.

rannnmcx w. KOEHLER, or wrtxnvsnnno, PENNSYLVANIA OXYGEN THERAPY Armmrus Application filed September 17, 1930. Serial No. 482,625.

My invention relates to oxygen therapy apparatus and is more particularly designed to administer oxygen to the sick while in bed. It avoids the use of face masks and is free of all electrical equipment, which is dangerous in hospitals where anesthetic laden atmosphere in connection with oxygen is prone to explode by an electric spark. Even oxygen alone freed in the air in the presence of a spark will explode.

The invention also relates to that type of apparatus using a tent enveloping the upper part of the patient and which is to be tucked around him to form a suificiently tight enclosure to retain a volume of oxygen enriched air.

The invention consists of such a tent vertically and laterally adjustable, having a transparent portion and a readily opened slot through which medicaments can be administered to the patient while being treated with oxygen.

The invention also comprises an injector for causing circulation through the tent, an absorber for carbon dioxide and a cooler for the'purified air-oxygen mixture with the injector preferably arranged between the purifier and cooler, which almost completely eliminates the hissing sound of the injector.

The invention also comprises means to rapidly admit high pressure oxygen to the circuit when desired and other details of invention hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Referring to the drawings in which like parts are similarly designated.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the appar- Figure 2 is an enlarged view.

Figure 3 is a plan showing the oxygen distribution to the various parts.

Figure 4 is a sectional view of the inlet/ means to the tent.

Figure 5 is an enlarged view of to supply auxiliary oxygen.

Figures 6 and 7 are views of the purifier.

Figure 8 is a vertical section, and

Figure 9 is a plan View, partly in section, of the cooler.

The apparatus, Figure 1, comprises a base 1 having caster Wheels 2. As illustrated, the base has three legs and between two of the atus.

the valve rod 18 that su bottle 4.

. valve structure 25, which delivers legs is a platform 3, on which the oxygen bottle 4 rests. Secured to the base 1 is a hollow upright post 5 to which is secured at 6 opposite the bottle 4 a shelf 7 supported by a brace or braces 8. On this shelf seats 55 the purifier 9 and cooler 10; Secured to the post, preferably at a point above the cooler and near the top of the bottle is a hinged metal clip 11 to hold the bottle 4 in place. Above the bottle is a platform 12 which may co be triangular in form, as shown in Fig. 3.

Above the platform the post terminates in a split clamp 13 provided with a clamping handle 14. Telescoping in the post 5 is a rod 15 carrying at its top a transverse sleeve as 16 provided with screw 17.

Passing through the sleeve is a horizontal pports the tent 19 and a support 20 for the two part, flexible exhaust tube 21,22 for the tent 19. v

The section 22 of this tube leads to the bottom of the purifier 9 and from the top of the purifier leads a flexible tube 23 to the injector 24. which receives propelling oxygen from' a reducing valve 25 and propels the purified breathing mixture from the purifier through a flexible conduit 26 into the cooler 10.

a handled clamping A' flexible conduit27 leads the purified and cooled mi'xture into the tent 1 a swivelled nozzle 28.

Referring to Figures 2 and 3 the triangular platform 12 carries a manifold 29 con- 9 through nected by a tube 30 having a gas-tightconnecting element 31 at its end, to the oxygen Oxygen from the bottle 4 is divided into two streams by the manifold 29, one stream o passing by a metal pipe 32 to a reducing propelling oxygen of reduced pressure through a conduit 33 to the injector 24.

The passage 34 in the injector is directed downwardly from conduit 33 through the in- 9 jector nozzle a and upwardly from the conduit33 to a spring loaded safety valve 35, which opens in casethe diaphragm Z) of the reducing valve or valves should fail.

At some point in the circuit I place a manually operated control valve preferably where the tube 23 .from the purifier enters the injector at 36 to control the speed of circulation, i. e., the volume per minute circulated.

" Directly opposite and in line with the pipe 0 injector just beyond the combinin 32, where it enters the reducing valve 25, is a branch pipe 37 leading to an emer ncy valve- 38 shownin detail in Fig. 5, whic valve dis- 35 temporarily increased.

furnished The propelling oxygen does not ordinaril t furnish sufficient quantity of oxygen for mixture with the respired air and to this end a permanent additional regulatable supply is 2 through a second reducing valve 4 I This supply passes from the manifold 29 through metal pipe 41 to the second reducing valve 42 similar to the reducing valve 25. The reducing valve 42, however is re latable for pressures and to this end has a and operated screw 43 to compress the spring at for the diaphragm b of this valve to place a stronger pressure on this valve to control 7 30 the supply of oxygen and its pressure as the pressure in the bottle decreases.

This reducing valve 42 carries a pressure gauge 44 on its inlet side to indicate the decreasing pressures in the bottle 4, and on its discharge side a gauge 45 indicating quantity dischar ed, liters per minute.

The 'scharge side of the reducing valve connects by a metal pipe 46 to the injector. at 47 just beyond its combining cone 0. y

The emergency valve, Fig. 5, comprises a easing into which a nozzle 48 enters. The opening through the nozzle 48 is closed by a non-inflammable plug 49 containedgin the end of a hollow screw 50 mounted in; a lever 45 51, pivoted at one end in the casing and whose opposite end is bevelled at 52.

This lever is urged into closing position by a .spring 53.

A portion 54 of the casing extends in line i 59 with the lever 51, and contains a splined ide 55 secured by a screw 56, whose head 57.

1s bevelled to engagethe bevelled end of the lever, to a button 58. A sealing diaphragm 59 is secured between the uide55 and but- 5 ton 58 and is secured in p ace by a ring 60.

- c0 53 while the gui By pushing on the button 58 the inclined surface on the head 57 of screw 56 will strike the inclined end 52 of lever 51 forceit away from nozzle 48 a ainst the action of spring depreventsrotation of the button 58 and screw out of its operating position. Thespring 53 returns the parts automatically to normal closed position.

The tent 19 comprises a sheet metal top 61 hung on a pair of springs hooked on the rod 18. The. top has a downwardly directed flange 61 and a connection 63 for attachment of the flexible exhaust conduit 21.

In the front of the tent is a window 64 through which the patient can observe what is going on about him.

[his window 64 may be of glass or cellu- 'loid.

At the side, the tent is slit and closed by The upper edge of the fabric tube forming the tent is secured to the flange by elastic webbing 61?) or otherwise.

The purified and cooled breathing mixture is admitted to the tent through inlet nozzle 28, Fig. 4, and comprises a downwardl bent metal tube 66 to which the end of the exible tube 27 is connected outside the tent.

This metal tube 66 is soldered at 67 to a plate 68 that surrounds the hole in the tent and through which tube 66 passes. A similar plate 69 on the outside of the tent is screwed tlq plate 68 with the fabric of the tent between t em.

The depending end of the tube 66 is closed by a plate 70 and has lateral openings 71. A conical discharge member 72 is swivelled on the end of the tube 66 by a screw 73 entering the plate 70 and between the plate and the lower wall of the member. is a spring 74 so that this member can be turned in any desired position by the patient inside the tent.

The purifier, Figs. 16 and 7, comprises a metal container, elliptical in section, having conical endsprovided with central inlet and outlets 76 and 77, respectively, for the passage of the respired breathing mixture. These openings have a bar 78 across them' to receive the end of a hand screw 79, Fig. 1, for detachably' 'securing'the fittings on the ends of tubes 22 and 23. 4

At the conedends of the container are oppositely coned screens 80' and between these screens is placed the purifying substance,

which is filled therein throu h a screw cap 81.

The cooler, Figs. 8 an 9, comprises a double walled container 82 provided with insulating material 83 between-the walls. j

84 is metal lining spaced from the walls of the container 82 to form an air cooling space 85, there being a bafile 86 for causing the breathing mixture to pass downwardly from the entrance nipple 87 around the lower edge of the baffle 86 to the outlet nipple .88. The refrigerant is placed in the container formed by the lining 84 and may be ice, salt-ice mixture, solidified'carbon dioxide, brine or other cooling medium.-

The refrigerant chamber has a liquid drawoif pipe 89 provided with a stop cook 90 for drawing off the liquid in the lining 84 when desired. A similar draw-off pipe 91 having a rod by screw 17.

' cuit.

ber formed between the lining 84 and the inner container walls to draw ofl' moisture condensate from the breathing mixture.

The cooler has a suitable cover 93.

Operation The apparatus is rolled to the bedside and the tent 19 adj ustedover the patient by sliding rod 18 in sleeve 16 and then clamping the It is then lowered to the proper height by rod 15 and clamped by the screw-clamp 13 -14. f

The lower end of the tent is then tucked around the patient below his arms. The valve 15 4a on the oxygen bottle is opened delivering the gas to manifold 29.

' Part of the gas passes by pipe 32 to the reducing valve and thence to the injector to furnish propelling gas for the breathing cir- The other part of the gas from the manifold 29 passes by pipe 41 to the second reducing valve 42 thence by pipe 46 to the lower end of the combining cone 0 of the injector.

The injector propels the gas through flexible 25 pipe 26 through the cooler 10 flexible discharge tube 27 and the swivelled discharge device inside the tent 19. The patient can direct the incoming gas in any direction desired by simply turning the nozzle member 28.

ible tube 2122 connected to the bottom of the purifier 9 whose upper end is connected by tube 23 to the injector 24 which combines 3B the purified mixture in the combining cone 0 for repeating the circuit.

The physician can observe -t-he patient .through the window 64 of the tent 19 and can supply temporarily and at once more oxygen at high pressure by pushing button 58- and holding it depressed for the desired time.

The control of the pressure and quantity of the oxygen supplied through pipe" 46 is effected by manipulating the hand screw 43 to 45 regulate the pressure of spring 03 on the diaphragm of the reducing valve 42.

To regulate the speed of circulation hand valve 36is manipulated.

The gas flow is entirely cut ofl by closing the 50 valve 4 that forms part of all oxygen bottles.

Motors are noisy; objectionable by reason of the electric current being prone to ignite the'atmosphere of the room laden with anesthetics and oxygen. They are heavy and expensive.

In lieu of a motor I cause the pressure of the oxygen to cause the circulation in the breathing circuit by a well known type of injector which considerably reduces the noise.

In order to still further reduce the .noise I connect the purifier to the suction side of the injector and the main oxygen supply to the delivery side of the injector so as to partly counteract the difi'erential pressure at which the injector is operating, thereby rendering The breathing mixture in the tent is ex hausted therefrom through the two partfiex the injector almost noiseless. At the same time the operation of the in ector is more nearly balanced without producing too great a pull on the suction side and thus reducing Combining a quickly operating closure with the slit in the tent greatly reduces leakage at the tent when giving medicine to the patient inside of it. p

The delivery of the breathing mixture to the tent at a point considerably below its top considerably shortens the tube 27 so that the 'mixture does not become materially reheated after leaving the cooler 10.

I claim:

1. An oxygen therapy apparatus comprising in combination, a treating chamber of a size to at least partially cover a patient, said chamber having an inlet and an outlet passage for circulating treated air therethrough, of a source of treating medium under pressure, a cooler and a regenerator, a system of piping connecting said chamber with the pressure source and with the cooler and regenerator, an injector having its suction side connected to the regenerator and its delivery side to the-cooler whereby to mufile the hissing sound of the fluid pressure passing to the system, and pressure regulating means for releasing a constant supply of the treating medium at a constant predetermined pressure independently of the pressure of said source.

2. An oxygen therapy apparatus comprising in combination, a treating chamber of a size to at least partially cover a patient, said chamber having an outlet and inlet passage for circulating a breathing mixture therethrough, of a source of treating medium under pressure, a cooler for said medium, a conduit connecting said cooler with said tent in the region of the patients body, an exhaust connection at the top of the tent, an injector connected to the source of treating medium, the cooler and exhaust, to release the treating .medium under pressure into the cooler, and

to concurrently withdraw the spent air through the exhaust line on the top of said tent, the said conduit connecting said cooler with said tent being. of minimum length to maintain the medium passing into the tent at minimum temperature, and pressure regulating means for releasing a constant supply of I.

the treating medium to said injector. at a constant pressure, independently of the pressure of the medium at its source.

3. Oxygen therapy apparatus comprising in combination, a treatingchamber of a size to at. least partially cover a patient, said chamber having an inlet and outlet passage for circulating a breathing mixture therethrough, a circulating system of conduits connecting said passages, a source of treating medium under pressure connected in said system, a pressure regulator connected in said circulating system and to said pressure source for releasing a constant supply of the treating medium from said pressure source, a cooler connected in said circulating system, and an injector connected to said pressure regulator and having its pressure side connected to said cooler and its suction side connected to the portion of the circulating system which withdraws the treating mixture from the outlet assage of said chamber, whereby to cause circulationof the breathing mixture within the said treating chamber. In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name.

FREDERICK W. KQEHLER. 

